gershon hepner

Messianic Ardor - Poem by gershon hepner

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To messianic ardor lackingenlightened skepticismBerlin refused to give his backing, withdrawing from the chasmcreated by the minds of menwho dabble in extremes, and, Daniel in a lions' den, deplored fanatics' dreams.He welcomed idiosyncrasiesthat other men deplore, believing we should to try pleaseby making love, not war.We need this third Isaiah now, for his ideas so fecundthat tolerantly taught us howwe ought to read the second.

Richard Bernstein quotes Isaiah Berlin in 'Foxes, Hedgehogs and the Defense of Freedom, ' a review of 'Isaiah Berlin: A Life, ' by Michael Ignatieff (Henry Holt) in the NYT, November 25,1998:

What the age calls for is not (as we are often told) more faith, or stronger leadership, or more scientific organization. Rather, it is the opposite - less Messianic ardor, more enlightened skepticism, more toleration of idiosyncrasies.